Even though a lot of the same faces are back, junior center Jordan Vandenberg couldn’t help but feel the sense of newness around the Dail Center practice court at N.C. State’s basketball media day Wednesday.

“You have a brand new court, new (uniforms), a brand new coaching staff,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to look forward to this year.

Yes, a lot of things have changed for the Wolfpack since Mark Gottfried took over for Sidney Lowe at the end of last season.

Including at least one player’s name.

Although the sophomore forward whose last name is Leslie may still be listed as “C.J.” in game programs and over the PA system at the RBC Center, when it comes to the man in charge, he’s now known as “Calvin.”

“It’s time for a new start with him,” Gottfried said of Leslie. “(Senior swingman) C.J. Williams is C.J., Calvin is Calvin.”

When asked how Leslie likes the change, the new State coach smiled a wry smile and said simply, “That’s his name.”

The message he’s sending came out was loud and clear.

It doesn’t matter what Leslie likes or dislikes. As the man in charge, Gottfried he can call his player whatever he likes.

If anyone on the Wolfpack roster is in need of such a not-so-subtle kick in the shorts, it’s Leslie.

A five-star recruit who played his high school ball at Word of God Academy – the same school that produced former NBA top draft pick John Wall – the 6-foot-8 Raleigh native was the most highly touted prospect to sign with State in nearly two decades.

But while he had his share of memorable moments last season while earning a spot on the ACC All-Rookie team with averages of 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, he was also wildly inconsistent both on and off the court.

His low point came on Feb. 5, when he was suspended for his team’s game at Duke because of a violation of an undisclosed team rule.

New N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried

Gottfried is well aware of the fluctuations in Leslie’s performance and has made it a top priority to eliminate them this season. Although practice doesn’t officially start until Saturday, the coach said his young work-in-progress has made positive strides during offseason workouts.

“Calvin’s been good,” Gottfried said. “He’s getting better each day. Our players clearly know the expectations for them. He knows it. It’s something we have to do every day to hold everybody accountable and work as hard as they can every day.”

For now, at least, Calvin seems to be buying in.

“If you bring in practice every day, you build a consistency,” Leslie said. “Coach Gottfried talks about how when he puts his pants on, he always puts his right leg in first, then his left leg. Basically, it’s building a habit and saying with it.”

While that’s a good start, Gottfried assured that the consequences will be severe if Leslie – or anyone else on the team – starts getting into the wrong kind of habits.

“We as a staff how tried to lay it out there very clearly for them,” Gottfried said Wednesday. “If they’re not playing hard, they’re not going to play. Period. I don’t care who it is, because at the end of the day you’re not going to win anyway” if you don’t play hard.